It's not so cold anymore
by tessmagnolia
Summary: OCOH challenge time again. This time it's January and it's cccccold! Carter and Abby are stuck and not going anywhere fast.


It's challenge time again! Same rules apply :D

_It's ccccold and Abby and Carter are somewhere where there's no heating to keep them warm.  
It can be set in either present time or in the future (maximum future time is 2 years.)  
A secret must be revealed.  
1500- 2000 words.  
The line "breakfast in bed" must be included at some point in the fic. But can be related to anything ie actual event. asking for it or telling a story.  
Abby's favourite colour must be mentioned._

**Its Not So Cold Anymore**

Oh shit, Abby panicked realising she'd fallen asleep at the wheel. "Oh bum." Is what she muttered remembering she had in fact pulled over before falling asleep, and the worse thing was that she wasn't entirely alone on this car journey from hell.

Ignoring the man beside and the snigger he had given at her 'oh bum' uttering, she put the key back in the ignition and hoped that it had all been one terrible nightmare and the car would actually start. Of course it hadn't, she knew it wouldn't, but that that didn't stop her trying a second, third and fourth time.

"Give it up, Abby. You'll flood the engine." Carter told her.

Not wanting him to think he was right, especially when he was, Abby gave it one last shot. It sputtered first, gave her slight hope second, and then died in the third moment. Gripping the wheel in a death grip and cursing under her breath, she then turned to him and grumbled. "I thought your triple A guys were on their way."

"They are, but we are in the middle of nowhere and your car doesn't have satellite navigation." He replied smugly and then promptly shut up at the death stare she shot his way.

"Whose bloody idea was it to come this way anyway?"

"Whose idea was it to leave at midnight?"

"We'd have been there by now."

"Well it's a more scenic route."

"Tuh!" But she did have to give him credit. When the car had fizzled out, apparently in the middle of nowhere, it was 5am and too dark to see anything. Now, at 6am the sun was rising and they had an amazing view of a gorgeous lake. Letting the view mellow her out slightly she turned to Carter and gave him an apologetic smile. "Did you manage to sleep?"

He shook his head, grinning mischievously.

"What?" She demanded. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." He didn't even try to hide the amusement in his tone.

"Carter." Abby warned.

"Well 'I' didn't get any sleep."

Hiding her face in her hands she groaned. Surely, she thought, she hadn't done anything too embarrassing, it's not like he hadn't seen her sleeping before. Though that was when they had been together where any little quirks were considered endearing, not a source of amusement. Gingerly she checked around her mouth for signs of drooling and was relieved to find none, which meant one of two things and since she'd never snored in her life.

Abby groaned again as a flicker of a memory flooded back to her. "What did I say?"

"You really don't want me to say."

"Oh I think I do."

Watching him out of the corner of her eye she watched his lips twitch into a smirk, he was lying. Smacking him on the arm she cried out, "You bastard." Which, of course, made him laugh harder.

"I hate you." She mumbled, then shivered. It was freezing. Despite the vest, tee, jumper, fleece, winter coat, scarf, gloves and hat she was frozen, not that that was surprising with the engine stuffed there was nothing to provide any heat and any residual heat had cooled down. "I'm going for a walk." Abby declared.

"Good idea, it's got to be warmer out there than in here."

* * *

Abby rubbed her arms enthusiastically as she hopped from foot to foot trying to keep warm. 

"You're making me seasick."

"I'm cold."

"So am I, but you don't see me bouncing about like a demented jack in the box."

"Ha, ha." She deadpanned and poked her tongue out at him.

Watching Abby watching the view mesmerised him as much as the gentle waves breaking against the shoreline mesmerised her. For January it was surprisingly mild, the temperature had been hovering around the 30's for the last week and even at this time in the morning it couldn't be less than 20 F. The cold definitely suited Abby, Carter mused admiring her profile, her face was almost covered all that was showing was her sparkling eyes and her nose that had turned a soft pink colour and he was pretty sure that her cheeks would have a matching pink glow to them.

"What you looking at?" Abby spun round to see him watching her.

"Just admiring the beautiful view." He didn't deny.

Narrowing her eyes in thought, she mulled over his words and decided not to pursue any meaning beyond that of the amazing view before them both. "I love this time of day. It's so peaceful and quiet. It's been a while since I've watched the sun rise over water, I love the way that the light hits the water and the colours are so vivid. I love that colour."

"The blues?" Carter was captivated by her voice.

"Mmhmm." Abby nodded. "You only get them in winter when it's so cold they almost turn transparent."

Abby involuntarily shivered, taking advantage of an opportunity Carter stepped forward and pulled her into him. "You still cold?" He asked after rubbing her arms a few times.

She nodded and proceeded to bury her face into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulled him close. She loved the way he smelled and even though she'd been in his arms quite frequently in the last few months, the setting lulled her into sense of romanticism. Pulling her scarf off her face, she reached up gently pressed her lips onto his.

It wasn't the most passionate of kisses, to both it felt like a soft breeze had tickled their lips. A soft breeze that left them wanting more. As Abby pulled back, her lips were recaptured by Carters, the urgency between them flared up as it intensified.

Oxygen necessitated their eventual, reluctant release. Abby stumbled slightly backwards, causing Carter to instinctively reach out to steady her.

"Wow." Abby muttered breathlessly.

"Yeah." Carter agreed. "Still cold?" He teased.

"You would not believe how hot I am right now." Abby flirted.

"Oh, I think I have an idea." He shared that same seductive smile. 'Come here." He opened his arms to her and she in turn, spun around and melted into his arms so they could both watch as the sun rose on the start of a new day.

"You are so getting me breakfast in bed tomorrow." Abby told him as they made their way back to the car.

"Why don't we just order room service?"

'I don't think Susan does room service."

"Well, I was thinking we should maybe stay in a hotel?" He asked tentatively.

"I'm thinking that might be a bit too soon."

"But…"

"John, we barely kissed. The last time we did kiss was over 2 years ago, I don't think either of us is ready to go down this route yet." Abby told him as they reached the car. Deciding the passenger seat was comfier she chose to climb in that side and leave the clutter of the driving seat for Carter.

Looking like a little boy in trouble he muttered before climbing in. "I just thought it would give us chance to talk."

"We can talk now."

"Sure."

"Don't sulk, Carter."

"I'm not." Abby raised her eyebrows questioningly, causing Carter to smirk and backtrack. "Okay maybe I am. I just…"

"You just want to get me into bed."

"No. Well maybe, but that's not…"

"It's okay. Understandable really." She teased.

He laughed and then leant over to kiss her cheek, which was still pink from the cold. "Come on let's talk."

"I don't know where to begin."

"Try the beginning."

"The beginning, the beginning? Or where we left off?"

"Let's try where we left off."

Where they had left off was quite ambiguous. They had spoken about their break-up, what had led to it and why it really was better that they had parted. They had skimmed over his life with Kem, the baby that should have completed them, they had even spoken about Abby's own chance at motherhood and together she had been able to finally forgive herself and Carter was able to see her in a different, more understanding light. And in the eighteen months since Kem had left, they had both begun to rebuild a friendship and trust that they thought had been lost. In truth they had gone over a lot of things, the details, what had happened. They needed to talk about feelings, the why's and most importantly what to do next.

"Do you want to know a secret?" Abby finally asked.

Reaching for her hand Carter nodded.

Ignoring the butterflies squirming in her stomach she took and deep breath and told him. "After you left, I didn't think I'd ever be with anyone again. I know I'm not one for proclaiming love, but I really did. More so than with Richard, completely different to how I felt for Luka and I knew I'd never find anything like that again. So when you came home with a ready made family and looking like the cat who'd got the cream I wanted…" Abby paused, wanting to figure out how to phrase this without sounding callous. "I was jealous okay."

"You wanted what?"

"You'll hate me." She whispered.

"Abby, please." His frustration was starting to show.

Swallowing the huge baseball size lump that had lodged in her throat, she tried a small half smile. It didn't quite reach her eyes but she wasn't expecting it to, so she opted for nervous look number one, the bottom lip bite. Perfect. Except it didn't allow her to actually speak. So she just opened her mouth and told him. Told him how she wanted to be in Kem's shoes, how it wasn't fair that everything she had longed for, and knew she'd never get had simply landed in his lap. Like his fairytale come true. "I always said I brought you misery and you came back with this perfect life."

"You know it wasn't perfect." He interrupted.

"Now I do. But I had all this pent up anger and no outlet for it."

"What did you do?" Carter asked, not entirely sure he really wanted an answer.

Abby laughed at his anxious expression. "Nothing like that. I um… I bought a punch bag and stuck your face on it." Her laughter changed to nervous giggles.

Shaking his head at the absurdity, he repeated. "A punch bag with my face on it?"

"Yeah." Abby then continued nervously. "I wanted to put one of Kem's on their too, but even I'm not that mean."

He shot her a bemused look.

"Okay, maybe I am. But you deserved it, and it is the first form of flattery?"

"I thought that was imitation."

"Nah, you're forgetting playground etiquette." She winked at him. "Remember? When you like someone you kick the crap out of them."

Carter burst out laughing.

* * *

"Have you still got that punch bag?" Carter asked a while later. They had spent the last twenty minutes reminiscing over their respective childhood punch bags. 

"It's in the basement storage. Why?"

"Well I think Susan's face might benefit from a stint on there." They both giggled.

"Well it is her fault we're stuck out here."

"We're icicles waiting to happen and she's entirely to blame." He continued. "Who gets married five hours out in the countryside and in a log cabin?"

"Seven, actually it will be more like fourteen when we get there. But this scenic route you decided would be 'fun' is more like seven."

"Who says it hasn't been fun?" His right eyebrow arched questioningly at her.

"Oh yeah, it's been, a barrel of laughs." Abby shook her head mockingly.

"I think I can get you to have a bit more fun."

"I'd like to see you… oh!" He leant over and captured her lips with his.

"Carter."

"Hmmm."

"The triple A guy's here?"

"Where?" Abby pointed behind him to the amused man peering through the window.

**Authors notes:** Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my last few fics. I've been trying to write more chapters for those fics in a series, but the juices aren't flowing all that well at the moment, so bare with me.


End file.
